


Right In Front of Me

by So_Ginelle



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Cute, Disguise, F/F, Falling In Love, HVC, HVC Prompt 1, HVC Week 1, Romance, Royalty, Week 1, it has to be, prompt 1, royalty in disguise, this is short, unexpected love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 17:56:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19408408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/So_Ginelle/pseuds/So_Ginelle
Summary: When the king and queen instruct their daughter, princess Shimizu Kiyoko, to go look for a potential male suitor to take over the throne with her, they aren't aware of Kiyoko's romantic preferences and do not realize that they are giving Kiyoko the freedom to take a week off of her busy schedule. What they also don't realize, and what Kiyoko fails to recognize, is that the perfect person has been by her side for years.





	Right In Front of Me

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bit of a warning. There is nothing that really needs a warning in this fic, but I am just going to say that I may potentially turn this into a full blown chapter fic at some point. There is that possibility, but I had to keep it within a certain word count, so it couldn't turn into that right now.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! This is a new ship for me and I love these two.

The day started like any day would in the large, thriving kingdom in Japan. The sun shone down through the crystal skylight in the ceiling, which was painted with beautiful gold and blue colors. It was spraying a very bright light down on the queen to be, princess Shimizu Kiyoko. It was blinding and it would have disturbed Kiyoko's sleep if she hadn't been wearing a sleeping mask, which she had learned as a trick to cut out the light from waking her.

Unfortunately, the world was not the kindest to princess Shimizu. She was awoken by a hand on her shoulder and it moved to her arm. The sudden touch caused Kiyoko to jump awake and sit up abruptly. It caused her handmaid to jump back and stutter out an apology, but Kiyoko dismissed her and stretched upward to try to wake herself up. "What time is it?" Kiyoko asked groggily before she removed her face mask. Then, she let her eyes travel over to her personal hand made, and she smiled gently to her.

The girl was always presentable. Kiyoko couldn't remember a time when Yachi wasn't in some sort of professional outfit. Sure, she was Kiyoko's maid, but Kiyoko didn't expect her personal hand maid to be dressed in the typical uniform that was customary to wear in the Shimizu household. That was a silly rule set by Kiyoko's parents anyway.

"Oh, it's 7:30, miss! I only woke you early because your parents want to meet with you this afternoon, so we have to move things around to get everything done in a timely manner. I'm sorry for any inconvenience..." she said in a bit of a ramble as she bowed her head. It was a very sweet strawberry blonde color, and Yachi's face twisted into one of condolence, which was absolutely not necessary.

But of course, Kiyoko's parents would wish that she make alterations to _her_ schedule to come see them. Why couldn't they just come and see her like normal parents? She was their daughter, after all. But no, she had to do things like a royal would. She had to 'behave like a princess' as they would put it. "No, no, don't worry about that. Thank you for waking me early. What is my agenda for today?" Kiyoko asked as she stood from bed, letting her night gown fall back down to her upper thigh, so she wasn't showing anything too much for Yachi.

Not that Yachi ever seemed to mind, but Kiyoko knew just how flustered and bothered Yachi could get. On a subconscious level, Kiyoko always thought it was sweet for her to be such an innocent soul. She really was very delicate and pure, and Kiyoko appreciated that about Yachi no no end. 

As Kiyoko took a seat on her end bench at the foot of her bed, she patted the seat next to her to have Yachi take a seat beside her. The shorter girl hesitated momentarily before she took a seat and she smiled awkwardly to Kiyoko. "So for today, you have another riding lesson after breakfast. To follow that, we have your government lesson, and then the meeting with your parents. After the meeting with your parents though, we have more studies to go over, and then you are scheduled to have a dance lesson afterward. Then, if everything goes smoothly, we have dinner, and then the local newspaper is coming to write an article about you. That all depends on what your parents want, though, as they may have other plans for you today," Yachi said with a smile.

There was a blush forming on Yachi's cheeks that Kiyoko had noticed, but she shook her head and she sighed in thought of everything she had to do. She longed to live a life without any real responsibility, or at least ones that weren't as important. She hated being the princess sometimes, and things were always so stressful for her. She wished she could live the life of a normal twenty-three year old.

But that was out of the question. She knew she had responsibilities, and she knew she would have to rule the kingdom someday.

"Okay, so we should get started then," Kiyoko said with a glum look on her face. Yachi shot her a sad look, but she stood up and nodded.

As Yachi excused herself, two other maids came into the room and started to get Kiyoko ready for the day.

This was the life of being the princess. They dressed her in the proper horse riding attire, and they started to do her makeup and hair. Kiyoko hated this, and she wished she could to it herself sometimes, but her parents wouldn't have that. They wanted their daughter to live a life without struggle, and without having to do the mundane things that the commoners had to do. Was it such a struggle for these people to put their makeup on and get dressed for the day? Kiyoko wished she knew what it was like.

She could remember being a kid and being allowed to do these things herself, but only when other families had let her stay the night. Once she got back home, it was back to being spoiled and pampered. The families that she stayed the night with were also wealthy, but none of their house servants dared touch the princess unless she asked them to.

Unfortunately, the time of Kiyoko having sleepovers was over and she wished that she could go back to that every single day.

Finally, when the maids had finished getting her ready and had sprayed her perfume for her to walk into for the day, Kiyoko thanked them and went out to the dining room, where her breakfast was already ready for her.

It was nice to see that her maids were there at the table as well, enjoying their own breakfasts. The maids and servants that lived in her house were allowed to take occasional breaks and show that they were human and needed food, which Kiyoko provided for them. In her family's castle though, her parents' maids and servants were treated like absolute garbage, and Kiyoko felt so bad for all of them.

Sometimes, Kiyoko wished she could have the life of her servants, because she wanted to walk in their shoes and see what it was like to live a normal life. Some of them had families, which she allowed them to visit and go to see on a weekly basis if they requested that. Some of them even brought their families to meet Kiyoko, which she was happy to meet and treated very kindly. But she wondered how hard it was to be away from them as often as they were. She hated knowing that they were only here to be paid, and that they had this life away from their families. She wanted to know what it was like to be them.

As she took a seat in front of her miso soup and eggs, she bowed her head and then began to eat.

Yachi came over right then. Yachi took care of everything for Kiyoko's schedule and instructed the other servants what to do for her. There were things that Yachi did that Kiyoko didn't know about, she was sure. But Yachi took a seat next to Kiyoko and sighed. "So we can't get your government lesson in until after the meeting with your parents. They want to meet earlier. But we can still get your horseback riding training in. Finish your breakfast and we will meet out at the barn, okay?"

That was a bummer, but Kiyoko was used to treatment like this by her parents.

After breakfast was done, Kiyoko was taken to the barn by two house guards and two different maids. She hated having to be escorted everywhere, but it was just the life that she learned to live in. Kiyoko walked into the barn and went straight to her black stallion. She was such a gorgeous horse, and Kiyoko reached for her face, letting her horse nuzzle her face against it.

Once the instructor was in the barn, she got the saddle on her horse and brought her out to the riding field, where she mounted her horse and waited for instructions.

It was a very tiring lesson today, but it was fun enough and it was something that Kiyoko had wanted to do. She had been learning how to get her horse into a full gallop. It was tricky, and it was exhausting, but it was fun and it was worth it. Until now, she had been mastering being in a canter. While that in itself is tricky, Kiyoko was getting it down.

Sadly enough, the lesson had to stop when Yachi had signaled. As Kiyoko dismounted her horse, she looked over to see Yachi, who was staring at her and she didn't realize Kiyoko was watching her right back. She seemed to be smiling to Kiyoko and watching her every move, which caused Kiyoko to flush just slightly.

Eventually, the horse was brought back into the barn and Kiyoko took off her riding gear and gave it to the maids to take care of, which they were already expecting. Kiyoko sometimes wished she could take care of it on her own, but today was not one of those days she could. She was far too busy to be allowed to do such a thing today. "So, your parents will have you for brunch. I know it's not in your plan, but we can just make lunch something lighter for you, or skip it all together," Yachi said as they walked over to her house.

In front of the house was waiting a black car with the typical royalty license plate on it. It was sitting in wait to take Kiyoko to her parent's house. She lived in her own quarters. Even though the small house that Kiyoko lived in was still on the royal property, it was away from the castle that her parents lived in. It was more than a mile away, so they always drove to go meet her parents.

Both Yachi and Kiyoko got into the car and took off. This was not going to be enjoyable. Kiyoko could count on one hand the amount of times she had been at a meeting that didn't turn out to be a disappointment.

When they arrived, there were servants there to open the car doors and usher Kiyoko into through the large castle entryway. They were courteous to Kiyoko, but she could tell that they had hatred in their eyes for what they did. It was sad for Kiyoko to see the stark differences here and back at her home, and she wished that her parents would treat them all better.

As Yachi stepped inside and followed, she gave commands to all of the castle servants to leave Kiyoko be and to not offer her things as she walked to the chambers where her parents would be waiting.

The room her parents were in was a very typical room that a king and queen would be found in. The room was lavishing and very professional, while still being as classy as possible, probably due to Mrs. Shimizu's preferences. There were servants that had bowed to Kiyoko as she walked in, and she motioned to them to be at ease before she approached her parents, who were surprisingly not in their thrones that were up on a platform in the center of the room. They were sitting at the table and they seemed to be enjoying a meal. Kiyoko wondered why they wanted to meet so early if they were still going to be eating, but maybe this was the only time they could fit their daughter in. Kiyoko was annoyed, but what was new? She had to change her entire schedule for this.

Kiyoko took a seat at the table, in front of the both of them, and they gave her a nod and a smile as they finished their bites. "Oh, Kiyoko! I am glad you made it! How was the drive over, dear?" Mr. Shimizu asked and then took another bite of his breakfast.

"It was fine. Can we get down to business though? What did you two want to see me about? I have a busy day ahead of me," Kiyoko said and she turned to Yachi. She motioned for Yachi to sit, and the girl hesitated at first, but stood firmly after when she saw Mrs. Shimizu looking at her. Kiyoko knew that Yachi was intimidated by her parents, so Kiyoko wouldn't push her to do anything she didn't want to do in front of them. Yachi was more than welcome to sit whenever they were in her home, but it was a different story in the presence of the king and queen.

Clearing her throat, Mrs. Shimizu got the attention back to her. "Well, my dear, we wanted to know how to get you motivated."

Kiyoko rose an eyebrow and she tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? I am motivated to finish my studies and learn as much as I can about horseback riding."

"Oh, dear, that's not what I'm talking about. We want to get you motivated to go out and find a suitor. We want you to find the next king to take your father's place when we finally retire," the queen said with a smile. "So, how can we convince you to start going out to find a nice man?"

Kiyoko froze up. She knew that her mother wanted her to go out and find a suitor. She knew her mother wanted her to marry a nice _man_ and have him be prepared to take over as king in the next decade. But Kiyoko wasn't really interested in the idea of a relationship.

At the very least, she wasn't interested in a relationship with a man. Maybe a woman, but definitely not a man.

"I know you want me to look, but mother, I am just very busy with my studies and lessons. I don't have the time to be looking for a suitor right now," Kiyoko said, trying to make excuses.

"Nonsense! You can take time to go find someone. What about one of those boys... the ones we see at the gates whenever we have an outing... Tanaka and Nishinoya? They seem like very energetic and lovely young men, fit to take the throne."

That was when Kiyoko cringed and let out a bit of a whine. Her mother made a face and shot Kiyoko a look. "They do seem very nice. Don't disqualify them until you really know them," her mother said. But that was the problem. Kiyoko knew she wouldn't be happy with them.

They weren't _women_. She wasn't completely sure that she was a full lesbian, but the idea of being in a romantic relationship with a girl was far more pleasing to her than one with a man, so she had a pretty good feeling.

With a breath, Kiyoko looked over to Yachi and watched the way her smile faltered for a moment. While Kiyoko had never mentioned her preferences to the handmaid, she was fairly certain that Yachi had started to pick up on it a bit. It did suck that her parents were sold on the idea of her having a man by her side, not another woman, and they would likely chastise her about being attracted to women anyway. "What if I take a trip out of the grounds to go scout out some potential suitors? I can't promise anything, but I will make an attempt. How would you feel about me going for a week?" Kiyoko asked as she turned her eyes back to her parents.

When they thought about it and looked at one another, they shared a quick nod. "We will give you permission to go out and look for potential suitors. There will be guards with you, but we will allow you to go out and look for your mate. That is suitable. Thank you for taking this seriously," Mr. Shimizu said before he reached for his tea mug.

As they finished up the breakfast, Kiyoko excused herself and Yachi to go prepare for her trip off grounds. Her parents told her that two guards would be with her at all times, but Yachi should stay home to take care of Kiyoko's other affairs.

The thing was, her parents didn't know that they were giving Kiyoko a week vacation. Kiyoko knew how to talk to the guards to get them to lay off of her and to not follow her, so her week away was really going to be spent as a week vacation at home.

Kiyoko was going to be in disguise as a servant new. There was no way she was going out to look for men, when subconsciously, she knew exactly what she really wanted. On some level, she knew she liked women. Underneath that, her mind was telling her to go after the one girl that had been there for her for years.

\----------

After an hour of putting together her disguise, Kiyoko checked herself in the mirror before she walked into the main part of her house. Kiyoko was completely different. She was wearing a wig of blonde and curly hair, she had colored contacts in her eyes, she had covered her mole and she had put on a typical maid uniform. She would fit right in.

Sure, not many people would think working and tiding a castle as a break, but Kiyoko was always studying, she was always learning, she was always in riding lessons, and she never had a break. It was exhausting doing the same things over and over again without getting to rest. So now, even though she would be subjected to doing laundry and spot cleaning her house, at least it wasn't the typical work.

As Kiyoko walked out to join the other maids, they didn't pay her any mind. They just walked on by and did their normal maid duties. Kiyoko sighed in relief and she followed them.

It was nearly three days in her disguise that Kiyoko had finally seen Yachi. Kiyoko knew she was there, but Yachi was always busy.

"Oh! No, no, that one doesn't need to be washed until next week. We can leave that one there," Kiyoko heard from over her shoulder. Yachi was speaking right to her as she tried to roll up one of the rugs on the floor. She let it unroll and she stood up straight. "Are you new?" Yachi asked softly.

Nodding slowly, Kiyoko stood up and looked away. "Yes, I'm sorry, that was my mistake..." Kiyoko said, trying to change the inflection of her voice and speak in a different accent. She dared to look at Yachi, and she saw the soft smile on her face. That was a mistake. There were things beginning to churn inside of Kiyoko, and she bit her lip. "Could you help me learn? I need to know what to do for Miss Shimi--"

Yachi cleared her throat and she held up her hand. "Her name is Kiyoko. She prefers that. But I can show you where the weekly and monthly task list is, and you can work with the others to get it done. It shouldn't be too hard this week, because Kiyoko has gone away on business," Yachi said and she sighed a bit. "She's a great person to work for. If you haven't met her yet, you will, and she will make this all worth it. Oh, I don't think I got your name! I am Yachi Hitoka, Kiyoko's handmaid."

Hearing how Yachi praised her caused Kiyoko to smile so brightly and she felt the blush come to her cheeks. She had to try to push it down though, because she needed to restrain herself. "Oh, I'm Ki... Kiki. My name is complicated, so people just call me Kiki," Kiyoko said with an awkward smile. She was still trying to alter her accent, so she was speaking slowly. "I haven't met her yet, because I just started Monday. But... Could you tell me more about her? What she's like? What you like about her?"

That was when Yachi pulled Kiki aside and she took her to the living room to sit. "Working can wait. So, to tell you about Kiyoko, it will take a bit. But Kiyoko is many things. She is tall... probably your height, actually. She is also slender like you, although she's not quite as curvy," Yachi mentioned. Kiyoko had been wearing padding in her disguise, so it made sense. "She has black hair, the cutest little mole... Oh, her eyes just say so much. She is beautiful. But the most beautiful part about Kiyoko is her personality. She is the kindest soul... I thought working for the Shimizus would be a mistake, Kiki, but it was the best decision I have made. Working for Kiyoko is something else. She cares about all of us servants, she makes sure we are taken care of, and she makes sure we get breaks when we need them. The king and queen don't like how she treats us, but she doesn't care, because she knows that we are human and we deserve things too, like free time and to relax. Whenever she sees me getting flustered, she has a few of the other maids step in to help, or she has me take a few hours to myself. Kiki, she is great. She... Not that you need to know this, but she is kind of everything I want in a person... I have always kind of liked her... Oh, why am I telling this all to a complete stranger! I am so sorry!" Yachi said as she covered her face with her hands.

This was beginning to become too much. Kiyoko's face was blushing. She was as red as an apple. "N-no, it's fine..." Kiyoko said in her own voice. Yachi looked through her fingers at that.

Kiyoko's insides were churning and her heart was playing tricks on her. Subconsciously, Kiyoko had always liked Yachi. But now she was starting to see her more clearly than ever. Reaching for a tissue, Kiyoko started to wipe the makeup off. "Yachi, listen..." Kiyoko said, getting Yachi to drop her hands. "I'm not Kiki. I am actually... Kiyoko," she whispered as she continued to wipe away her disguise.

"What? Y-you..." Yachi covered her face again. "Ki-... But your hair, and... and the curves!"

Reaching to her head, Kiyoko pulled off the wig, and she reached into her shirt to pull the padding out.

Kiyoko was once herself again. "Miss Kiyoko... I... You know that I don't mean anything by..."

"No, I know you do. And I know that you see me better than anyone else can see me. What you don't know yet is that I like you too, Hitoka. I have always kind of liked you, I think," Kiyoko said as she stood up to take the other padding out.

"Oh! _Wow_... But... But your parents... And what does that mean for... my job? And for us?" Yachi asked in a squeak, still incredibly red.

Kiyoko smiled. "If you would like to, I would like to start dating. I will worry about my parents. If you want to keep your job, you can, but I would much rather you were my girlfriend instead," Kiyoko said and her face was just about as red as Yachi's face now.

This was completely unexpected. This was not supposed to be how it happened.

But princesses deserved their happily ever afters.

"I-I would like to be your girlfriend, yeah..."


End file.
